King of Shadows: Of Blood and Tears

Chapter 30: Arbor

A few months had passed by, and with that came no news of Malgorog and his whereabouts, yet Maximus knew deeply in his heart that he was close. His nightmares and paralysis episodes were blossoming once again, driving the poor boy into the depths of sleepless insanity. He would spend some of his nights with Amaris, getting to know her, learning everything he could about who she was and who his family was. She explained more than once that Malgorog seduced Luthien with his charm and promise of loyalty to her and the fact that she was heir, and he was her advisor. When Malgorog betrayed her, killing Annabelle, nearly killing Max, Luthien had a loyal servant bring Max to the men he now knew as The Withered. Luthien gave them Stones of Chaos, and they traveled to Kolasi, dropping Maximus off at the front door steps of Eliza and Miguel. Why they were chosen was unknown, and why they chose to keep him was even more of a mystery. Maximus had remembered his mom admitting that there was indeed monetary gain from this mysterious exchange, but that did not sit right with him. He wanted there to be more. He needed there to be. In order to feel as if he was truly loved. Truly adored and cared for. And not just the salvation of a crumbling marriage desperate for money, doing anything they could to gain it, even if that meant caring for a peculiar boy, from a puzzling world.

After Malgorog found this news treasonous, he raped, murdered, and soiled the lands of The Withered, making them watch the gruesome deeds. One thing that Amaris had said made Maximus cringe. She had called it the Massacre of Linditch, Linditch being the territory in which they lived, East of the city of Numaneria. Something Melancholy never spoke of when he spent his first few months there.

"Malgorog and his vile elves raped their wives, and cut the necks of their children as they hung above the captured elves. Malgorog had said he would paint them with the blood of their loved ones...and he was not lying." She had said, unable to make eye contact. "They refused to stop there. They massacred everyone residing in Linditch, and even made their way East to the City of Alynth, where no man or elf is allowed. Controlled by a group Dryads, protected by a vast treeline, was now the fallback for human mages after the Fall of Lithuan, an old castle where all magic was taught properly to anybody who was born with magical properties. Malgorog sought out its destruction when he came into power, and made it law that only elves may practice magic in all the land."

Maximus also talked about his visions with the Elven Goddess, and he found it especially hard to talk about baby Luthien, for he didn't yet understand what it had meant. Was it literal? Or was Annabelle, otherwise known as the Lady of Death of Findara, trying to tell him something? Amaris didn't have much to say about this, nor did she have an answer that would aid in settling Max's weary heart. She did however comfort him. She could see a darkness growing inside of him every time they would lock eyes, as if his pupils were the windows to all of his problems. She saw how troubling it was in Kolasi, and how difficult it was finding his way to Elibor. Maximus was trying to find light, and any amount of good to lock onto, and to fight for, even when there seemed to be none. A lingering cloud sprinkling fatigue and lethargy over the poor boy, every step of the way.

As the days went by, Maximus's dreams got worse. He would wake next to Amaris trembling, breathing terribly hard, and would once again sweat through all of his night-wear. Amaris would wake with him, caressing his cheek, brushing his long brown hair back behind his ear, kissing his damp forehead. Maximus found consolation being near her, and so a few weeks after the tree incident, they decided it best to share the same bed, not in any sexual manner, but as an easement. She didn't mind the long nights, for she knew what truly ailed him. Dreams in Findara do not work the same as they do in Kolasi, but they were still troubling nonetheless. Malgorog was undoubtably marching an army of Elven Knights to Elibor, and with every step closer, the sense of him watching, vile eyes staring from the dark corners of Max's chambers grew heavy. With every effort to reach Maximus with his Stone of Chaos in the realm of dreams, came outlandish nightmares keeping the hagridden boy awake at night.